Carsten Schneider
Photo: photothek.net, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
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- Oct 16
France and Germany ease 2035 EU car CO2 target and widen Made in Europe rules
The compromise would cut new-car CO2 by 90% from 2035 instead of 100%, and could let Britain count as Made in Europe under a separate deal. The draft still has to win backing across the EU.
- Oct 14
EU proposes one-year delay to methane rules for oil, gas and coal imports
The European Commission wants importers of oil, gas and coal to meet EU methane monitoring duties in early 2028 instead of from January 2027. Parliament and member states must now negotiate the proposal, which cites pressure on energy supply and prices.
- Oct 5
Electric cars take 34.5% share in Germany as September registrations rise 95%
Battery electric vehicle registrations in Germany reached 88,599 units in September 2026, driven by federal purchase incentives of up to 6,000 euros for private buyers.
- Oct 5
Germany pays EV subsidies to 100,000 households as €3B scheme targets lower incomes
Germany has paid electric vehicle subsidies to 100,000 applicants since launching its three-billion-euro scheme in May, with half of the recipients earning 45,000 euros or less annually.
- Oct 4
German Environment Minister urges states to direct infrastructure funds into water management
Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider called on German states to invest part of a 100 billion euro federal infrastructure fund into water retention systems following low river levels on the Rhine and Danube.
- Sep 24
Germany submits 2045 fossil fuel phaseout roadmap to the United Nations
The federal cabinet approved a 22-page roadmap to eliminate coal, oil, and natural gas use by 2045, making Germany the third nation to present a formal transition plan at the UN.
- Sep 23
Scientists at Hamburg extreme weather congress report 16,000 heat deaths and 41.8°C summer peak
Meteorologists and climate scientists gathered in Hamburg on 23 September 2026 for the 16th Extreme Weather Congress, where data showed Germany experienced 22 heat days and an estimated 16,000 heat-related fatalities in summer 2026.
- Aug 13
RKI estimates 12,500 heat-related deaths in Germany through August 2, surpassing any full previous year
The Robert Koch-Institut estimates 12,500 heat-related deaths in Germany between April 6 and August 2, 2026, with 9,600 occurring in a single June week when temperatures exceeded 40°C.
- Jul 29
Germany's cabinet to approve energy reform: Reiche pushes grid synchronization and cost cuts
Economy Minister Katherina Reiche's plan to tie renewable expansion to grid capacity and slash redispatch costs goes to cabinet today, with the EU's state aid approval for the current system expiring at year's end.
- Jul 18
Germany's Reiche waters down renewable subsidy cuts: small solar gets transition payments, grid compensation softened
Economy Minister Katherina Reiche revised draft energy laws on Friday evening, introducing a three-year transition payment for small rooftop solar and scaling back planned compensation cuts for wind farms in grid-constrained areas.
- Jul 6
Three German states launch new conservation project along the former Iron Curtain border
The 'Grünes Band Dreiländereck' project aims to preserve the unique biodiversity of the former inner-German border strip, with Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider attending the launch in Mödlareuth.
- Jun 27
Nursing home residents evacuated in North Rhine-Westphalia as indoor temperatures reach 35°C during Germany heatwave
Firefighters rescue elderly residents in Dormagen and Krefeld after indoor temperatures reach 35°C and 50°C respectively, with the German Weather Service warning of up to 41°C on Saturday.
- Jun 26
Bundestag passes Infrastructure Future Act, prioritising motorways and rail over environmental concerns
Germany's lower house approved a law giving road, rail, waterway and airport projects 'overriding public interest' status to cut planning times from years to months, drawing sharp criticism from environmental groups and opposition parties.
- Jun 15
Four years after Oder disaster, fish stocks rebound but mussels languish, leaving river vulnerable
Four years after one of Europe’s worst river die-offs, fish have returned to the German-Polish border river, but critical freshwater mussels have barely recovered, leaving the ecosystem fragile and at risk of another toxic algal bloom.
- Jun 10
Merz says patience with SPD 'at an end' over stalled infrastructure law, coalition scrambles to contain fallout
Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused the SPD of blocking a law to fast-track major construction projects, telling a closed-door Union faction meeting his patience with the Social Democrats was 'at an end.' Coalition leaders moved quickly to limit the damage.
